Senator Harry Reid apologized for saying early during the 2008 campaign then-Sen. Obama could win the White House because he was a "light-skinned" African-American " with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

Good thing he added the "unless he wanted to have one" clarification.

Politicians being politicians, they say stupid things. And white politicians talking about race have to be especially careful. But even Ol' Harry should know better than using the kinder, gentler N-word.

Reid, headed for a difficult re-election in 2010, should be working on his "white man trying to save career" dialect.

Some are comparing Reid's faux pas with former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott's gaffe a few years ago. Lott was at a birthday bash for not-dead-yet Strom Thurmond when his infamous tongue got him in trouble for toasting Ol' Strom by saying the United States could have avoided "all these problems" if Thurmond's 1948 segregationist campaign for president had succeeded.

"All these problems" referred to, ahem, Civil Rights. Awkward. But it was precious fun watching Lott go on his Black America tour, kissing up to and apologizing over and over to the Jacksons and Sharptons and NAACP's of the world before finally submitting his resignation.

Will Reid face the same scrutiny? Probably not. The president has already forgiven Harry, calling him a friend, and saying it's all forgiven and forgotten. Reid's gaffe is more akin to Vice President Biden's "articulate, bright and clean" description of candidate Obama than it is Trent Lott's longing for the "good ol' days" of segregation.

Double standard? Sure. It's no secret that Republicans have little room for error when it comes to issues of race. It may have something to do with Richard Nixon and Pat Buchanan's "Southern Strategy" which seeked to make political hay of the racial divide in the South.

It also has everything to do about perception. When the voices of your party are the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter, you may have some image problems with non-whites.

Did you take a look at the national party conventions? The Democratic delegation was more diverse, and truly looked like a microcosm of America. People of every color, class and religion seemed to be represented. The Republican Convention looked a lot like White Corporate America meets the National Junior League. Oh, and look, there's Michael Steele.

Not saying it's right, but it's just the way it is when it comes to talking about race. White folks can't get away with much. But it's a little easier if you're playing for the right team.